[Max Xinzou]

Clearly, this diminutive beast was designed to travel and be on the go. Its elegant form aside, its function should include the connection to any available wireless, read "air", network that might be available. I would therefore have to cite as egregiously missing the inclusion of an express card slot that would allow one's wireless carrier of choice data modem. Heck, Apples' partner Cingular didn't even get some propriatary built-in inclusion. So, how useful is this thing going to be when every available wi-fi network shows up as locked? And, an express card slot would mean firewire and other 3rd party options are now possible. And yes, I am still making do with a 12" PB. The price of this new lugable doesn't scare me, but the all knowing hubris does! Yes, I will pass.

[jedi228]

{quote}A "Pro" version providing some of the connectivety and storage options available to the ProBooks would have been a much more satisfying unveiling. I remain disappointed.{quote}

I just don't get why people continue to whine that the MacBook Air is missing this and that. If you want more connectivity and storage options then a device already exists and is called the MacBook Pro.

The MB Air is exactly what it is supposed to be. If you put in a 2.5 inch hard drive and added space for all the ports, and added a slot for optical drive, then the device would get fatter and would be a MacBook Pro.

The MB Air is great. The MacBook Pro is great. Choose the one you like.

[dvdhsu]

I don't really think that the trackpad gestures will come to the old laptops. It seems like a hardware feature- Apple keeps on touting its "multi-touch interface"

[TowerTone]

I could see where this could be useful IF it isn't your main machine. It would be great to take on trips or to use around the house, maybe for video and music on vacation, and to extend your video library rather than loads of memory cards for photographers.
Since I have an iMac, and plan on getting a Time Capsule, this would fit perfect for me....if it were a little less expensive.
And did I miss something? Where is the speaker?

[jkross22]

The product doesn't have to be a world beater, but it does have to represent innovation. This is a thin notebook computer. Is that innovative? Don't other manufacturers have thin notebooks? If it takes center stage at MacWorld, it ought to represent innovation from a company that has shown it has the mettle to produce game changing products. Ipod/itunes and iPhone deserved that center stage. The Air? Not so much.

I prefer a $100 Nokia phone to the iPhone for the same reason I prefer to use a Mac instead of a pc - it's a more efficient, more reliable means of meeting a need. I don't buy into the Apple marketing machine that they make the best of everything, but I do believe the company produces very elegantly designed products wherever they compete. I sure hope Apple sees that new customers like me want more than just a pretty (inter)face.


As a Mac user, I want Apple to succeed. I need them to succeed. I hope Apple realizes that to continue to grow, it will require that they continue to create ground breaking products. Simply making variations of current product won't cut it. Just ask Dell.

[herbert harper]

I think the lack of optical drive will be seen as progressive (sooner than later), as people accept that fast internet makes it irrelevant. This can spare us from the tedious details of format wars, and push software vendors to improve online distribution.
Best of all, I will soon have several options that no longer require I remember to shuttle chunks of plastic back and forth 5 - 10 miles to the video/music chain every week. If conservation is one of the goals/marketing points, my opinion is that the end of optical disks beats x-thousand recycled laptops.

[whidbeyben]

I too have been waiting forever for a suitable replacement for my 12"PB G4, and unfortunately, as sexy as this is, I can't even migrate directly from my 12" PB G4 to this MBA because the HD capacity is too small.
I can only hope, as many others who have commented on this thread that there is yet another small laptop out there, a 12" MacBook Pro, waiting in the wings with the HD capacity and processing power to allow serious multimedia work. I'd love to get MacOS on a Toshiba R500.

[robco]

You have to see it in person to really appreciate it. It is thin, insanely thin and incredibly light. It's like a sheet of Al with a computer inside. No, it's not fully featured, it doesn't have every port, dedicated graphics, etc. But not everyone needs that. Honestly, it does everything I use my MB for. I just can't justify the expense. It's not for mobile video editing and heavy multimedia work. But for the person who does a lot of writing, spreadsheets, etc. it should be a great lightweight machine.
I do admit that I would like to see a docking solution. The lack of a replaceable battery kinda sucks, though I only use the one in mine. I imagine there are plenty of folks willing to live with the compromises in order to lose a lot of bulk and weight in their travel bags. The screen looks great, is plenty bright and the keyboard feels good.
For folks who need more ports, dedicated graphics, larger screens, etc. there's the MB and MBP. This is admittedly a more niche product, but it's good to see Apple expanding the product line to meet the needs of an expanding user base. I'm hoping that as the price of SSD drops, we'll see thinner, lighter versions of the MB and MBP.
As for optical, it's becoming clear that Apple wants to avoid the HD DVD/BRD debacle. Downloading content makes more sense. Instant gratification and no plastic/metal discs filling up landfills. One thing I would like to see is the ability to store music/movies/photos to an external device (and Time Capsule) and keep only selected files on the local drive, much like you can do with an iPod when it can't hold your entire media collection. It would make having a smaller local drive less painful.

[edmetric]

KPO'M wrote: It might just be a fancier, thinner version of the Macbook (sans an optical drive) but it is a very good subnotebook offering.

I'm taking another look at it as a dressed up, eye-catching, more robust featured iPod Touch. Just wifi. Starbucks, airport, train/taxi, hotels, home ease of use for email and tunes. Better notes and calendaring. Journaling. Easier texting.

Svelte, stylish. Briefcase friendly. A personal notebook.

[JakeT]

jedi228 said:

> A "Pro" version providing some of the connectivety and storage options available to the ProBooks would have been a much more satisfying unveiling. I remain disappointed.
I just don't get why people continue to whine that the MacBook Air is missing this and that. If you want more connectivity and storage options then a device already exists and is called the MacBook Pro.

The MB Air is exactly what it is supposed to be. If you put in a 2.5 inch hard drive and added space for all the ports, and added a slot for optical drive, then the device would get fatter and would be a MacBook Pro.

The MB Air is great. The MacBook Pro is great. Choose the one you like.

Yeah, but the MacBook Pro is old. It's overdue for a major upgrade. And there still isn't a 12 inch version.

[spacest]

heat?

[MCJ]

JakeT said:

> Yeah, but the MacBook Pro is old. It's overdue for a major upgrade. And there still isn't a 12 inch version.

It may be old but I am not regretting purchasing the MBP now at all. Performance-wise it is a lot more capable than the Air and looks just as good in my opinion.

[macwilf]

Seems like they released the iMovie08-version of laptops...
It is elegant, thin and sleek, but is it useful for others than business people, travelling a lot? It would of course have been useful for students and even myself, as a secondary computer, but not to that price - and as usual, we pay a lot more in Norway than 1799 $. Yes, I know that that price is without sales tax, but even when you add our 25 % VAT to the price, there is a 400 $ difference.
Apple may be able to defend that premium price in various ways, but I still think it isn't very wise. The Norwegian comments I've read so far, react to the price. It is simply too much for a laptop which you can't use for serious work, and besides, WiFi isn't that ubiquitus in our long and narrow and sparsely populated country. But we're making good money. Still, too many find this offer a bit too little for too much, just like the case was with iMovie08. But consider then how it will be received in other European countries.
I hope that Apple's next product would be something to fill the gap between the iMacs and the Mac Pros.
If a company could come out with a cheaper, expandable desktop, it would and should be Apple. I can't see any reason why they shouldn't. After all, the real strength lies in the OS, right?
But, looking at the Pro towers, they have another strength which it seems they haven't realised yet; they could build the frame around which the components could be installed, a frame which would be solid and elegant and with which you would avoid the clutter of home built PCs, but still you could replace next to any part with the greatest of ease, without having to buy them from Apple. That, combined with the Mac OS X, would be a success - to the right price.

[scriven]

Critical comments mainly come from people wth no understanding of present market/options in ultralights and/or no need for lighter weight. The breakthrough here is mainly this: the lightest MacBook is more than twice the weight and volume of this, and there are huge numbers of people for whom that simply opens the door to a Mac they can use. Even the Windows competition with full size keyboards/readable text/workable size screens is simply the R500 Toshiba and the new series Lenovo (ex-IBM) and the latter is an 11" screen, and not yet quite available. ALSO, the weight with the SSD has not been announced, but will be considerably less that with the hard drive AND will give much faster start-up/longer battery life/better drop tolerance/lower noise/heat/etc., to make up for any significant difference in cpu speed. So the Air completely owns a significant slice of the market against ALL alternatives, including much of the so-called ultramobile market, many of whose users/potential users will happily get an Air since it does not compromise on keyboard/screen, unlike the UMPCs. Cheers!